The Nissan LEAF is the best-selling battery electric car of all time. Its record may not stand long if Elon Musk and Tesla have their way, but for now Nissan is the EV king with over 400,000 LEAFs sold since the car was first introduced in 2010. Now the company is planning to introduce the LEAF and various models powered with its e-Power hybrid powertrain to more countries, especially in Southeast Asia and Oceania.

Credit: Nissan

“This milestone is a powerful statement that 400,000 customers, and counting, value the Nissan LEAF for the excitement, confidence and connection it delivers,” said Executive Vice President Daniele Schillaci, Nissan’s global head of marketing, sales and electric vehicles. “The LEAF remains the icon of Nissan Intelligent Mobility, our strategy for moving more people to a better world.”

LEAF owners have driven more than 10 billion kilometers in all. Today all those electric cars save 3.8 million barrels of oil a year, not to mention the millions of tons of carbon dioxide that haven’t entered the atmosphere in all that time.

Last year, the LEAF was not only the best-selling electric vehicle in Europe, but also the top-selling car of any kind in Norway. It is available in more than 50 markets globally. That number is about to rise. It will go on sale in six new markets in Latin America in the first half of 2019 and seven new markets in Asia and Oceania by the end of the year. It will be offered in the Philippines and Indonesia in early 2020.

Nissan‘s goal is to electrify a quarter of its sales volume in Asia and Oceania by 2022. In addition to the Leaf, a number of models with the e-Power drive will make up a part of this plan. “e-Power we believe is the most pragmatic step towards electrification,” said Yutaka Sanada, Nissan regional senior vice president and head of Asia & Oceania. “In addition to introducing electrified mobility, Nissan is working on making them more accessible through electrification components assembly and localization in key Southeast Asian markets.”

The e-Power is a series hybrid similar to a Toyota Prius but not so similar that Nissan has to pay royalties to Toyota. It is by far the best selling option for Nissan vehicles in the Japanese home market. The LEAF is currently manufactured in Japan, Tennessee, and the UK.

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Steve Hanley Steve writes about the interface between technology and sustainability from his home in Rhode Island and anywhere else the Singularity may lead him. His motto is, "Life is not measured by how many breaths we take but by the number of moments that take our breath away!" You can follow him on Google + and on Twitter.

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